Confessions of a Shop-a-Holic

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

I am sure you have seen what I speak of....those "skinny" faux velvet flocked garment hangers are everywhere. If you have not tried them yet, I can assure you, they work wonders!!! I re-did my closet with them some time ago & probably gained around a foot of added space where I could hang NEW stuff! Also, as most women know, clothing tends to slip off most other hangers & fall to the floor, but not these. All my clothes stay put, no more slippage & no more poke-y hanger marks in my shoulder zone.

I highly recommend you switch over if you have not already done so!! Best place to buy: COSTCO where you can get a box of like 60 for only around $15. Such a deal! Lately, Costco has been sold out & I had to break down & pay more buy buying some at Marshall's, were you get only around 18 to 20 for $12.99, but when in a bind to finish a closet re-organization project, it was still worth it. You can find skinny hangers just about anywhere, though, including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, Walmart, Ross and TJ Maxx. They even make some with 4-5 rungs on them so you can layer up your pants all on 1 hanger. Nice!!

Friday, February 12, 2010

If you enjoyed the Marshall's Mega-Shoe in Glendale, attached to Home Goods like I did, you will be sad to know that it's gone..... Not sure why & not sure what will become of the space, but if I had to guess, Home Goods will simply expand & take over. I love Home Goods, so it's all good, but the shoes will be missed.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Yep, that's what we feel like...QUITTERS! Mitzi's time with us ended last Saturday after 4+ months of us desperately trying to give her love & teach her that it's not OK to urinate in our house, on our furniture, on our clothes/shoes, or anywhere else indoors for that matter. *sigh* The poor, sweet thing just did not get it. Her psychological issues ran too deep & we had to give up on her. We made the long journey to Costa Mesa to return her to the rescue group from whence she came. SORRY MITZI....we loved you, but you were just too much for us.

It has been several days since her departure. I'm not sure what's more sad...the fact we had to give up or the fact that the house is so peaceful, calm & relaxing now that she IS gone??? I never realized how much of my time she consumed, even when I was not home....she was always on my mind. She was always on Mike's mind. The non-stop flow of urine coming out of her was always bothersome & we had high hopes that in time, it would pass. Now that she is gone, I am so much more relaxed when I am home. While sad to send her packing, I feel free again.

Mitzi is no dummy -- she learned to "sit", "stay", or "go lay down in your bed" with relative ease in recent weeks, but she could not stop urinating anytime she was happy, nervous, scared or insecure. We treated her like gold & yet, she could not stop. Medically, there was nothing wrong with her. We had the vet examine her to make sure. We were told it's common in dogs that were abused & she may or may not get over it in time --- and we should invest in dog diapers, which we did...to no avail.

Frankie is adjusting, although he appears to search for her at times. I'm sure he once again loves being the center of attention. He also loves getting to be indoors more often. When Mitzi was there, we tried to treat them equally, which meant he was banned from the house during daylight hours to be in the yard w/ Mitzi. I think he hated the lack of human contact no matter how much he liked to wrestle with his little canine pal. Our hope is she finds a permanent home with someone that is more tolerant -- although, I think we had the patience of Saints in dealing with her, maybe she still needs more??

Farewell, little Mitzi-Mae.....best of luck to you! May you have a happy life wherever you land. XOXO

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I have no recent shopping adventures to post about.....trying to watch the budget lately. So, I thought I would take a quick moment to try & find out where YOU like to shop (not that many peeps read this blog, but what the heck?). Tell me your top 5 stores & why you like them. Who knows?? Maybe it will inspire ME to find new places to shop!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

What is one to do with a darling, scruffy little mutt that has suffered through SO much when their patience begins to run out? Mitzi was adopted in October, most unexpectedly....and despite our best efforts, the submissive urination just won't end. We have to keep her outdoors most of the time. When indoors, she has to wear doggie diapers -- yes, they really DO make those!

It's rare one of us can step outside to greet both our pooches & Mitzi remains dry. She's happy to see us -- it's not fear by any means, but she makes a huge puddle. If something startles her (which the simplest of things do), she makes a huge puddle. If she is frightened or intimidated, she makes a huge puddle. It's not fun & I do not appreciate changing doggie diapers daily. *sigh*

We did tons of research on the subject of submissive urination in dogs. In the dog kingdom, it stems from insecurity and is their way of showing the dominant force RESPECT......I'll tell you what -- respect me LESS and urinate on my floor LESS, please. The urination happens indoors and outdoors. We have followed all the rules & it goes nowhere. Surely in 3 months, SOME improvement should be seen? We see it in other areas with her -- she's intelligent, she's loving -- but the pee-pee thing, she is not getting over & it sucks! We are trying every trick, every recommendation & it's not getting better. We have had her evaluated by the vet to make sure there was no medical issue. She's fine there.

It's not all bad.....Mitzi-Mae is very loving & sweet, although she has had some barky, nasty moments at home when new people come to visit. Not cool, but easier to understand than the urinary problem. She has gradually slowed down with her eating, knowing no one is going to steal her food, as what may have happened her 10+ months in a rescue shelter with 20+ other dogs. She gets along well with Frankie most of the time -- but he does get annoyed with her when she steals his bed. I know there is a smart dog in there somewhere.....

We have fleeting moments where Mitzi is a "real dog", meaning her tail is wagging, the ears are cocked ever-so cutely beside her tiny face & she's running & jumping in the yard.....then, you just look at her & fear comes over her....the tail goes down wraps up under her female parts, the ears slick back in terror & she cowers, often with urine flowing out. It's horrible. It's sad. Her prior owner surely did not treat her well that she has SO much fear. He or she must have been a real stellar human being for beating up on an 8 pound pup! Makes me sick.

I feel like a quitter if I return her to the rescue group, but honestly, I don't know how much more I can tolerate. Maybe she needs someone who is home more & can work with her more often than I can? She's darling & funny & loving....but such a handful & seriously, our patience is wearing very thin for keeping her for the long haul, I'm sad to say. *sigh* Stay tuned........but if anyone has the time & patience of a Saint, by all means, give us a call & perhaps we can work out a transfer??? We need help. I don't even think the Dog Whisperer could fix this tiny creature....

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

No shopping chatter for today....just wanted to take a tiny moment to say that I hope that everyone had a wonderful Chaunukah / Christmas season. Ours was mellow, but enjoyable nonetheless. I was a complete loser this year & did not ever find the time to take a cute holiday photo of my precious pups which has been my "thing" ever since I have owned doggies. A few friends expressed some disappointment if I did not send a traditional doggie holiday card, so I cheated....mind you, I don't have Photoshop, nor would I even know how to use it if I did. I had to use the "Paint" feature in Windows to alter an already existing & terribly cute photo of my pups for the 2009 holiday card this year. The photo pictured here is not the one used in the card, but an equally cute but similarly cheater-style painted pic regardless. I also failed to print enough of the cheesy pictures, thus, seriously having to limit who I sent them out to....and, ran out of stamps last minute and even failed to put stamps on a half-dozen or so that were returned to me in untimely fashion by the Post Office. My bad! If you received one of our cheesy cards, consider yourself one of the lucky ones!! *wink* I was truly batting a thousand with my holiday cards this year.....

As for the coming year, I want to wish everyone the very best in 2010. I know that personally, 2009 had some good days and some unpleasant moments to say the least (then again, every year does, really)....overall, I guess I cannot complain in that so many people have it worse than I do, even if there are days where it feels like my world is coming to an end. I still have my health! I have a wonderful husband! I have a beautiful home! I have some great friends and while I don't like the fact I have to work, at least I DO have a J-O-B. May everyone have a safe, prosperous & Happy New Year because no matter how cliche that sounds, it could not be more true of my wishes to everyone. I hope that 2010 brings us all good health, good fortune, and good times!

And, of course, on a much more superficial level....may 2010 bring lots of nice things to YOUR closet, as well as to mine! HAPPY SHOPPING!HAPPY NEW YEAR!!